Dispersal behavior of the parasitic wasp Cotesia urabae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae): A recently introduced biocontrol agent for the control of Uraba lugens (Lepidoptera: Nolidae) in New Zealand

作者：Avila G A^*; Berndt L A; Holwell G I

来源：Biological Control, 2013, 66(3): 166-172.

DOI：10.1016/j.biocontrol.2013.05.008

• Endoparasitoid
• Braconid wasps
• Microgastrinae
• Parasitism
• Parasitoid dispersal

Estimates of the dispersal range of a recently introduced biocontrol agent in its new environment are vital to understanding its relative searching capacity, and to foresee the maximum area that could be covered in a release event. In New Zealand, the solitary endoparasitoid Cotesia urabae Austin and Allen (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was first released in January 2011 as a biological control agent for the gum leaf skeletoniser, Uraba lugens Walker (Lepidoptera: Nolidae). The objective of this study was to utilize an experimental approach to quantify the dispersal behavior of one generation of C. urabae. In our experiment, which used sentinel larvae as target hosts, parasitoids dispersed up to 20 m away from the release point but parasitism was highest within 5 m of the release site. A high level of parasitism was observed at the release tree (87.6%) which suggests that most of the females released may have stayed there. According to the dispersal model developed from the data collected, Cotesia would be able to disperse up to 53 m in one release event. In addition, significant differences were found between the different directions tested for dispersal, showing a clear downwind effect on dispersal suggesting that wind has a direct effect on the dispersal behavior of C. urabae in the field.

• 出版日期2013-9